Brad Crockett & Jones Monk

Bryant Marni Loafer

Bryant wasn't over keen on having his photo taken, but he was kind enough to let SMM take a photo of his fantastic footwear. Italian fashion house Marni is renowned for adding a stylish twist to classic pieces and these loafers were absolutely no exception.

Kelvin Windsor Smith Brogue

Stewart in Dries Van Noten

Stewart was hard to miss in what has been a very quiet week in Melbourne (where are all you guys hiding?).   In town from Hong Kong on a lightning visit to see friends, Stewart was busy falling in love with our Melbourne way of life.  Just as we were falling for his style and his sensational Dries Van Noten printed canvas derby's.   Stewart's style advice? "Don't think about it, just go with what you love".

Brendan Rokin Boot

Brendan was photographed in Preston wearing the 'Legion' desert boot by Swedish brand Rokin, which were purchased on a recent trip to Europe. This Portuguese made cow hide boot is washed during production to give them a vintage look.

Dr Martens Classic

Alex Oxford by Massimo Dutti

James in Vans x Diemme

James, co-owner of 'Up There' store, was snapped wearing a pair of Italian leather Montebelluna Hiker LX buffalo boots. These limited edition hi-tops from the Vault footwear series are made in partnership between Vans and luxury Italian shoe brand Diemme. The California skate heritage of classic Vans  has been combined with Italian shoemaker Diemme's materials and handmade techniques.

Ken Suede Chukka

Tyson Losers Uneaker

We loved Tyson's whole act this week.  Caught having a sneaky day off in Melbourne with his fiancee, Tyson's relaxed style and attention to detail made for an eclectic mix.  We especially love the English country gent upper-half with the Shibuya bottom half.  Losers Uneaker 'Shark'

Iron Ranger Redwing

Jeremy is wearing a classic American Redwing boot known as the Iron Ranger. A quintessential American brand, Redwing has named this no nonsense boot after the rugged residents of the Minnesota Mesabi Iron Range.

Rangaa Winter Lace-up

Andrew VE Mort Brogue

Phuong in McNairy Saddle

Donni Olrik Chelsea

Donni was on a brief visit home to Melbourne between projects in Bali and Bangkok when we bumped into him this week.  Despite spending the better part of 10 years in Asia steering some of the best clubs, he clearly hasn't forgotten how to run the classic Melbourne winter look.  It was the superbly cut denim trench that caught our attention, but as we got talking we could see the whole package was a quintessentially Melbourne streetwear masterclass.   The sharply cut black calf Chelsea's just reminding us how easy good style can be.

Brothers in Style

We busted Melbourne brothers Jim & Tony on a little mid-week shopping spree yesterday and couldn't resist their infectious energy for style. The boys told us they are exploring their tastes and favourite labels - believe us when we say they were human encyclopedia's of cool.  Clearly both have a taste for quality footwear.  Jim is wearing a limited edition suede Roux derby by Loake Bros & Tony his favourite, a Common Projects polished binder derby.   Long Live Melbourne Style.

James Burnished Dior

We bumped into James yesterday as he was whipping around town running errands before heading overseas to attend the wedding of a friend.  A Sydney 'expat' now enjoying the Melbourne life, James is very much our type of man.   Full of character and energy, and always well put together.  His beautifully cut and understated three-piece, the full knit tie and of course a classic chestnut Dior derby to bring it all together on a wild and wet Melbourne morning.

Thian Losers Schooler

Thian is brand manager of Losers Sneakers. We photographed him outside of 'Up There' store in South Melbourne where he, along with designer Motoki Takanaka were preparing for the launch party of their SS13 collection. Thian was wearing the Losers Schooler Lo.

Jasper VE Lalor

Interview: James Cameron

“We now know a brogue from a derby, a peak from a notch. And we should. We also know when we should use this knowledge. Being comfortable because you got it right is better than being comfortable because you got it wrong.” - James Cameron

For so long the idea of a Melbourne man and style was mutually exclusive. It was an awkward arrangement of grooming and presentation only if it meant a beneficial outcome.

Men wore suits with the same aplomb a footballer visits the tribunal or a criminal leaves the court, good from afar, far from good.

Then something happened, there was a shift. Yeah there was some awful stuff in the middle about metro-sexuality and oxymoronic men’s beauty, but a lot of that was just the embryonic stages of something bigger that struggled to find meaning and a suitable definition. Let’s just say they were the years we had to go through to get here.

We worked out that deep V-necks were for dicks with shaved chests, but more importantly, that caring too much is just as bad as caring too little.

Nonchalance is different to not caring and this was the shift, a simple understanding that meant the effeminate damage of the previous years forced upon us (whether subscribed to or not) could be repaired.  Things weren’t black and white anymore. Take care of your skin, but maybe draw the line at mascara. Sure your eyes ‘pop’, but what did we say about caring too much?

We grew, we moved on and we got past really pointy shoes in pale mock alligator.

With each setback we gained strength and confidence, footballers still make avoidable mistakes; black tie is for black tie and the only room for creativity is your choice of tailor, not the choice of colour. If you’re wondering, yes, brown is wrong despite the name of the medal.

Leave fashion to the victims and style to the men.

James Cameron is a Melbourne tailor, author and freelance fashion designer.  James has developed and advised on clothing design for some of Melbourne's best known menswear labels, fashion stores as well as his own eponymous label.  James writes for The Age Melbourne, Broadsheet and several other fashion publications.